Sir Alex Ferguson’s old assistant Rene Meulensteen has warned Mason Mount he could be sold by Manchester United.
United fans had high hopes for Mount after the England midfielder completed a £55m move from Chelsea last summer.
The 25-year-old had become a mainstay in the Chelsea team, making close to 200 appearances for his boyhood club and lifting the Champions League trophy in 2021.
Mount took on Cristiano Ronaldo’s iconic No. 7 shirt when he arrived at Old Trafford but he underwhelmed last season, with injury issues and a loss of form restricting him to just 14 Premier League appearances.
Meulensteen struggles to see where Mount fits in at Manchester United and says his career could go the same way as Donny van de Beek, who was sold earlier in the summer at a huge loss.
‘Mason Mount is in a bit of a similar situation to Donny van de Beek at Manchester United,’ the ex-Old Trafford coach told Gambling Zone.
‘You can even say the same about Christian Eriksen, although he has more experience, because they are basically all playing in Bruno Fernandes’ area of the pitch.
‘Bruno has been such an important player for United and with goals and assists and energy so the others are going to find it hard to get into their best position.
‘With Mason Mount, he is not really a six or not really a winger, you want him as an advanced eight. The way to do it is to play with one six and two eights or two tens.
‘He is good on the transition and winning the ball back for counter attacks, he is so quick and agile and he showed that at Chelsea.
‘Sometimes when you stick to a certain system, it’s hard to fit certain players and I fear he could be the new Donny and his career could fade at United.
‘Mason needs to work hard in training, during my time at the club we had all different kinds of players but that was an advantage for Sir Alex Ferguson when it came to rotating them.
‘We could play in the same system but with a different style, from Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo getting in behind to Ji-Sung Park and Ryan Giggs who were completely different.
‘United need to think about how they can use Mason Mount in certain games which would play to his strengths. Maybe putting him on for the last 30 minutes.’
Mount will hope to revive his career this season, with Manchester United kick-starting the 2024-25 campaign on Friday night against Fulham.
Shearer’s verdict on Man Utd
Alan Shearer, speaking to Betfair, delivered his verdict on Manchester United ahead of the new Premier League season.
‘Like all managers, Erik ten Hag will be under pressure,’ the ex-England striker and Premier League record goalscorer said.
It wasn’t a nice situation for him to be in, in terms of everyone knowing that the bosses at Man United had spoken to other managers and put it out in the public, so he wasn’t put in a nice position last season but that’s been forgotten.
‘They have said that he’s their man to take them forward and they wanted a bit of stability.
‘It’s a big season for him and Man United because they’re going to have to improve massively in terms of the league campaign, they did win a trophy, like they did the previous year but in terms of the league position they are going to have to improve.
‘I was reasonably impressed with them in the Community Shield and with the additions that it looks like they’re going to make in the coming days, there’s no doubt they’ll improve.’
Bacary Sagna, the former Arsenal and Manchester City defender, believes Mount has struggled to adapt since leaving Chelsea but says United fans must continue to support him.
‘Sometimes when you’re born and raised in London, it’s difficult to move out,’ he told Paddy Power.
‘Mason Mount moving to Manchester might be difficult for him – it’s not always easy to make that shift. It’s a different life and atmosphere.
‘He will have to adapt, but sometimes it takes some time. He was important for England and for Chelsea – and in time, he will be for Manchester United.
‘Sometimes when you’re in a team that aren’t doing well, the pressure will be on you as people say that the dynamic of the club has to be changed.
‘If he manages to have a good couple of games, he can get the fans on his side – we saw it with Jadon Sancho. Sancho was not loved enough when he joined Man United.
‘He joined Borussia Dortmund where the love was there for him. If you keep showing love to players, it can change the whole situation.’
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